


You don't play the Saxophone like you used to

by Accidental_Shipper



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Lawyer Sam Winchester, M/M, Musician Gabriel (Supernatural), One Shot, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:15:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25087507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Accidental_Shipper/pseuds/Accidental_Shipper
Summary: A short Sabriel one shot where Sam meets a Saxophone player at the subway station
Relationships: Gabriel/Sam Winchester
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	You don't play the Saxophone like you used to

Taking the subway underneath the streets of New York does have its benefical qualities- if one were to ignore the sewer rats, the weird cult posters, the unwanted flirts, and the drunks that have somehow managed to get onboard- the subway does provide an adequate means of transportation, or at least, that’s what Sam was told. Sam had managed to graduate from Stanford with a law degree without any interuptions of the sort. He took his degree to New York and managed to become one of the most respected lawyers of the state. The status did cost him his relationship with Jess but, aside from that, things were looking up.

Around December the common cold was spreading around the city, turning the already filth covered subway into a hive for contagious diseases. Sam had the misfortune of watching a man grab a pole in the same area a previous person had touched it with their snot covered hands. It was fortunate that Sam had the common sense of keeping his winter gloves on, although he had no protection against the sick children who couldn’t seem to cover their mouths every time they tried to cough up the mucous covering their throats.

Sam asked himself why he didn’t just take the damn taxi. Well, maybe there was just one reason. It had nothing to do with the sufficient means of transportation but rather, it had to do with a sweet melody that played every time Sam entered the station.

For the past three weeks or so, Sam would hear saxophone music playing on his platform. The melody itself was upbeat, easily something that could be played on the streets of Chicago or frankly any city that was accustom to this kind of music. Despite his law degree, Sam was quite knowledgeable of the various songs played with the instrument. On the first night the musician would play “Careless whisper” however, everyone knew the song and was a crude example of Sam’s extensive knowledge. Even so, the song put smiles on the faces of people walking by and was enough for the musician to collect a massive pile of coins inside his case. The musician in question, Sam soon learned, was a shorter man with goldish hair and whiskey color eyes. He always wore a classic suit with a trilby hat to match.

Aside from the entertaining “Careless whisper”, the man played “Papa’s got a brand-new bag”, “Take five”, and “So What”. All recognizable songs with fun rhythms attached to them. It didn’t take long for small crowds to gather and to start listening to the man’s music. Sam, for his part, was quite impressed by the man’s talent. He was able to play songs that usually required multiple instruments, as with the case of “Take five”, with a single saxophone almost effortlessly. The man brought life back to this rat-invested subway station and had always managed to put a smile on Sam’s face, even on the worst days.

It came as a big surprise then when one day Sam stepped out of the subway only to hear “I remember Clifford”, a less cheerful song written by Benny Golson in memory of Clifford Brown. The shift in tone went, at first, unnoticed by Sam as he assumed that the musician just wanted to try other music. The small crowd didn’t seem to notice as they continued to pile up and toss coins inside the man’s case. 

The next day the man played “Autumn in New York” again, not a song one would expect to hear from someone who otherwise played upbeat music. However, the crowds still gathered, and coins were tossed. 

By the fifth day, the man had played three songs by Chet Baker including “almost blue”, “the thrill is gone”, and “for all we know” all famous songs notorious for their less than happy rhythms.

It was around then that Sam took the time to look at the man playing. He could have sworn that a new expression crept into the man’s features, one of sadness and exhaustion. He only smiled when the crowd would clap after the song, but the smile never really reached his eyes.

Sam watched as the man attentively focused on the coins being thrown inside the case. He looked as though he was counting each one and the face he wore whilst doing this was one of slight contempt, almost as though counting the coins had become a burden.

It was then that Sam figured out what was amiss. The entire process of having to repeat the same performance was getting repetitive and tiring. Almost as though he was stuck in a repeated cycle of having to lift a boulder up a hill only to have it fall again. Sam loved his job but, having to go through the same process of going to work, helping the same kind of people, and having to draw up evidence for the same kind of cases was weighing him down so, he knew exactly how the man felt.

With this knowledge, Sam went back home to perform a simple mission but, not before going to a flower shop to buy a single red rose.

Sam didn’t have to work the next day, but he went to the subway anyway to accomplish his goal. He saw the man playing on the same spot he always did and he was still playing the same sad melody, this time “Once I loved”. Sam discretely tossed the rose with a small note attached to it inside the case and very quickly hid behind a wall.

Sam saw the man finish his song before looking down at his case in confusion. He picked up the rose and read the note. Sam saw a genuine smile creeping into the man’s face and Sam felt himself mimicking that smile. With his mission accomplished, Sam took the next subway and ventured around the city to relieve himself from the pressures he felt that week.

Sam stepped out of the subway later that day to hear “What a wonderful world” being played. Sam sighed in relief as the same upbeat tune was once again heard throughout the station. He looked over to the musician who had, vey noticeably, a rose bud attached to his trilby hat.

The man finished the song and the small crowd started clapping. The man turned his head and saw Sam standing close by. The man smiled at him before placing the mouthpiece onto his lips and started playing “Careless Whisper”. Sam chuckled as the familiar song started playing.

Who knew that a note that read: _You are so loved_ could bring so much joy to someone’s life.

**Author's Note:**

> You have no idea how much research was put into this.


End file.
